I've been a GM for a long time now, ran a couple of different

a PS at the end of your suicide note usually does the trick

>>50502323
link them to this thread, and tell them you're the OP

>>50502323
Which systems?

File: 1459261391083.png (245KB, 900x851px) Image search: [Google]

245KB, 900x851px

>>50502323
The trick to getting good as a GM is to play more as a player. Participate in both bad games and good games. You'll get a better handle on what the players want, and you'll have a better idea of how to make it happen.

Spare them the trouble of taking part in your games and just tell them that you don't want to GM anymore. You don't need to explain yourself to them. Find some games to join if nobody in your group volunteers to take the reins. You'll figure it out.

>>50502379
An awful homebrewed based on d100, dungeons the dragoning and final fantasy 4ed

>>50502352
They dont speak english

>>50502397
Never have played bad games as a player to be honest. All my friends who are GMs are good, much better than me

I would love to continue GMing, just like a retard would love to attend university

>>50502458
>final fantasy 4ed
Do you mean D&D?

Anyway, you need some beginner-friendly game that actually helps you learn the basics of GMing instead of continuing to blindly stumble about.

I suggest Ryuutama (scenario-based) or Apocalypse World (sandbox), depending on your preferred GMing style.

>>50502517
not him, but please sell me on Apocalypse World

>>50502323
Practice with ERP so you have a built in 'reward' for your success.

>>50502517
Its not that I have problems with the system, my problems are things that I didn't notice until I started to ask my players, things like railroading, not preparing the sessions properly (make a dungeon like if it was a fucking videogame maze with just encounters, forget the most basic of things like ecology or composition) (not preparing the backgrounds of the NPCs)(not foreseeing in advance what my players are going to do) and not making my players want to take it seriously.
And I meant final fantasy 4ed, the trpg, its nice, you should check it if you want something crunchy

>>50502323
If you know you are so bad, why keep playing with a homebrew system and not something pre made?

>>50502645
If the system was the only reason sure

>>50502580
It's a pretty robust system that's more 'players do stuff and the GM tells them what they need to roll' rather than 'I use x ability'. It encourages more narrative gameplay and typically resolves combat within a single round, maybe two or three if it's something nasty.

Character and world creation have a few core principles, but outside of that you can pretty much go nuts with what you want. It was one of the earliest systems I played and still a favorite of mine.

Plus, there's a ton of hacks for the system across a huge range of genres and playstyles.

>>50502705
But pre made systems also have pre made adventures and sometimes you can really learn from those.

>>50502751
>pre made adventures
None of my friends who are wonderful GMs ever touched one of those and learned pretty much by doing their stuff and campaigns

If I need those it would definitely make me a failure

>>50502790
>If I need those it would definitely make me a failure
Your belief in being a failure is what makes you a failure.

Use every tool available and dedicate yourself. Most people just convince themselves to suck, and self-fulfilling prophecy themselves into ineptitude.

>>50502631
Yes, you do have problems with the system.
Having a proper system makes running a game infinitely easier. After all, most of the rules in a game are for the GM to use and adjudicate.
And all three systems you listed are either awful for inexperienced GMs or just plain awful.

>railroading
Is a failure to communicate expectations before the game.

>make a dungeon like if it was a fucking videogame maze with just encounters, forget the most basic of things like ecology or composition
Smoke and mirrors. Actually preparing all of that shit beforehand is unnecessary.

>not preparing the backgrounds of the NPCs
Three sentences for important NPCs, improv for the rest.

>not foreseeing in advance what my players are going to do
Unless you're a psychic, how the fuck do you or your players expect you to do that?

>not making my players want to take it seriously
You're there to have fun. Whether that means taking stuff seriously or not is up to the group.

You should seriously read and Apocalypse World. It has a very solid system of rules for GMs that makes learning how to run a sandbox (which is what your players want if they complain about railroading) a cinch.

>>50502790
Stop whining and do what you have to do to become a good GM.

If all you want to do here is complain about how your friends are more talented at GMing than you, you can fuck right off.
But if you want to become someone who can run enjoyable games, you have to suck up your false pride and self-pity and make use of all the help we are graciously offering and recommending to you until GMing becomes second nature to you.

>>50502869
You are are right

It just feels that whatever problem I have related to being a GM is averted naturally by other people who know how to do it without effort, like what people are telling in this thread, everything is logical and sound solutions and its frustrating how they never occurred to me

>>50502865
Maybe you are right

>>50502987
If you think everyone got it right on the first go, your head's as full of shit as your mouth is. Everybody fucked up at some point. If you see a problem, fix it. If you forget shit frequently, write it down. Being a good GM isn't a rote set of rules because GMing rules are in the end mostly suggestions. Every GM and every player group has different styles and preferences. Find what works for you. When you absolutely can't find a solution after tooling around, that's when you ask for help. Otherwise it's just being a whiny bitch.

>>50502601
This. Worked for me

>>50502580
Adding to >>50502706

The 'players do stuff and the GM tells them what they need to roll' part is not 'mother may I', despite what it may sound like.
The five stats represent five very different approaches to any given situation and the associated Moves each have clearly defined triggers, so for most actions a PC might want to take, you can expect the GM and the players to be on the same page regarding what Move that will be.

The neat thing about combat in AW is that it is not necessarily over quickly, but that if you roll for a Move, no matter what you roll, the situation that led to the Move significantly changes. There is no whiffing and no whittling down of HP. Whenever you take action, the system makes sure that it sticks.

The GM section contains a suite of tools that makes running a sandbox easy. It gives you concrete goals to work towards, rules for creating believable threats to the PCs and a list of things to do in any given situation.

The players have a lot of indirect control over the game's narrative, too. The playbooks they can pick from each have some assumptions baked in that significantly alter the focus of a campaign just by having that playbook in the party. Additionally, at the start of a session, the group gets to determine for which stats each PC will get experience, creating a strong incentive to act in certain ways.

>>50502987
That's because you started with terrible systems and no tutor to show you the ropes. Of course you'll get lots of things wrong. There are a few people who can make that work, but they're the exception rather than the rule.

I repeat:
Read and run Apocalypse World. It'll blow your mind.

Also, don't forget that a big part of GMing is just plain bullshitting. You don't need to know all the rules or know every detail of your world. All that matters is making your players think that you do.

File: 1438884389377.jpg (125KB, 600x600px) Image search: [Google]

125KB, 600x600px

>>50502631
>dungeon ecology, npc backgrounds, predicting player actions, generating player investment are all hard
The fact that you're aware these things exist and see value in them puts you head and shoulders above most GMs. Don't be so hard on yourself.

>>50503336
You think?
I though it was the most basic and mandatory thing for GMing

File: TracksintheSand1.3.pdf (1B, 486x500px)

1B, 486x500px

Posting a general railroading advice pdf for those interested.

>>50503404
But Anon, it's still railroading if the players don't notice.

They might not have any concept of the term, they'll just simply find the game boring if the options are too restricted.

It's railroading if the GM has a plan that cannot be altered by the players, aka "listen to my story and say nothing to interrupt". Now players can intentionally sign up for a game like that, but they should know before hand that you intend to limit the scope of the game.

>>50503455
Every GM limits the scope of their game by necessity. You cannot run a game of limitless scope.
The only thing that matters is whether the player notice these limits or not.

>>50504035
>You cannot run a game of limitless scope.
You absolutely can, because human imagination is temporally uncapped.

You can imagine responses to the players ad infinitum.

Whereas your claim has no point, since the players will always notice the events of the game. Unless you mean to say the best game is where the players never try to change anything?

>>50504275
Fancy words, fancy theory, but unfortunately with zero bearing on practice.

Every GM has personal limits. And RPG systems tend to compound these limits further by introducing mechanical concerns.

And it doesn't matter that players notice the events in the game. What matters is how much of the underlying workings they notice.
Everything is fine if the players believe that they are in a fight with a bunch of goblins because of their own actions, when in reality, you had statted up a fight with a few guards because you wanted to have this fight in this session and now you're just reusing those stats because you can't come up with new ones on the fly.

>>50504811
>with zero bearing on practice
The practical component of the theory is that, as a GM, you should be adaptable and imaginative, working with your players rather than guiding them down a story with puppet strings.

The players should be a PART of the story, not unwitting accomplices to your elliptical path false choices.

It's just setting the stage for the game: your players are entering a fantasy world of might and magic, where they have a real influence on events.

>>50504848
>practical component
>should be adaptable and imaginative
>should be a PART of the story
>should
Yeah, no. That's the theoretical component of the theory.
That's what a perfect GM would do, but nobody's perfect, so especially as a beginner, you have to cover up your imperfections somehow.